Tom Christopher (born 1952[1]) is an American artist known for his expressionist urban paintings and murals, mostly of New York City. Christopher began as a commercial artist, and has become a notable artist with worldwide galleries and exhibitions.[2]

Christopher began creating fine art in the mid 80's with "...painting household objects and tools on a Brobdingnagian scale" in addition to making cast-iron sculptures, which were featured "...in galleries in the East Village".[4] These works were most notably featured in Socrates Sculpture Park, Oil and Steel Gallery (L.I.C. NY 1992)[7] and the "Tools as Art: The Hechinger Collection" at National Building Museum Washington D.C. (1990s).[8]

The early 1990s also marked the start of Tom Christopher's signature NYC paintings. The first gallery to feature this was the Saint Marks Gallery in 1990.[2] After receiving more success and reception with this style, he slowly switched to primarily this style in the 90's, and "Now his subject matter is largely focused on the streets of New York."[9]

Partnering with the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Department of Fine Art Media Laboratory, Tom Christopher and students from FIT[1] will create three Bronx-specific VR experiences for the Montefiore Medical Center. Patients will experience the environment seeking to diminish anxiety, pain and opioid addiction through stimulus-rich, curated artistic environments.

A virtual city block is made up of elements from different streets to create a "virtual" city block typical of the South Bronx. "The process allows you to blow it up to the size of a billboard, or shrink it to the size of an ant. Walk through or around or hover from above."

Christopher recently did a black and white series of paintings in a "New York is Noir Again" collection. He currently works out of his studio, Lift Trucks Project in North Salem, New York. Most paintings seem to go overseas to international art fairs and Galerie Barbara von Stechow in Frankfurt, and Galerie Tamenaga in Paris, Osaka and Tokyo.[10]

In the summer of 2014, Tom Christopher and Oscar Andy Hammerstein took a studio residence in the Brill Building windows during its renovations. The art project was conducted as an installation and an inside look into the artistic process. The subject matter was Times Square and the streets of New York City.[14]

They are two artists with very different styles but with one thing in common, a love for the cross roads of the world and a plan to make something that's really ugly into something beautiful.

Christopher is known for his New York City urban paintings. Most of the work is painted using small-batch, handmade acrylic paint. Pencil lines from the initial exploratory sketch stage often remain on the white canvass. His typical images include cabbies, delivery men, skylines, and chaotic New York City scenes. His work is usually done with acrylic paint in an expressionist style.

Christopher is most notable in the New York City art scene, with mostly positive reviews from sources such as The New York Times. One article features a quote by former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who stated "Tom has an uncanny talent for capturing the essence of New York City from the perspective of those who have enjoyed the sights of the city on foot."[9]